Article-revealing carton for fragile objects

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an article-revealing carton for fragile objects, particularly eggs, consisting of a container section with a cover section hinged thereto, said container section having a plurality of article-receiving compartments arranged in at least two parallel rows and also upwardly extending projections located between said rows of compartments, and said cover section having at least two upwardly projecting gable portions extending parallel with the rows of compartments and a roof portion recessed between two neighboring gable portions and interconnecting the lowermost edges of the opposed sides of the neighboring gable portions, and moreover there is provided a number of apertures corresponding to the compartments in the container section, said apertures being formed in the recessed roof portion and the sides of the gable portions adjoining thereto, and being arranged so as to coincide with the respective compartments in the container section, when the cover section is closed thereon, and that the recessed roof portion has a downwardly projecting web which extends along the entire length of the roof portion and has a trough-shaped cross section and forms an open-end channel, and that the web and the projections are so formed and arranged in relation to each other that the web rests on the tops of the projections, when the cover section of the carton is closed on the container section.

United States Patent 1 [1 1 41,61

Hassing-Hansen June 26, 1973 1 1 ARTICLE-REVEALING CARTON FOR Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr.

FRAGILE OBJECTS [75] Inventor: Jens Hassing-Hansen, Bagsvaerd,

Denmark [73] Assignee: Aktieselskabet Brodrene Hartmann, Lyngby, Denmark [22] 'Filed: Feb. 18, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 116,432

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 23, 1970 Japan..... 45/17001 [52] U.S. Cl 229/2.5, 206/45.31, 217/265, 229/29 M [51] Int. CL... 865d 1/00, B65d 81/16, B65d 25/54, I 5 B65d 85/32 [58] Field of Search 206/45.31, D10. 9, 206/65 B; 229/2.5, 2.9 M; 217/265 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,362,605 l/1968 Bixler 229/29 M 1,544,389 6/1925 Hall 1 217/265 2,135,242 11/1938 Smith 206/D1G. 9 3,195,770 7/1965 Robertson 220/97 C 2,285,129 6/1942 Schwartzberg... 229/2.5 3,327,918 6/1967 White. 229/29 M Attorney-Pennie, Edmonds, Morton, Taylor & Adams [57] ABSTRACT The present invention relates to an article-revealing carton for fragile objects, particularly eggs, consisting of a container section with a cover section hinged thereto, said container section having a plurality of article-receiving compartments arranged in at least two parallel rows and also upwardly extending projections located between said rows 0 compartments, and said cover section having at least wo upwardly projecting gable portions extending parallel with the rows of compartments and a roof portion recessed between two neighboring gable portions and interconnecting the lowermost edges of the opposed sides of the neighboring gable portions, and moreover there is provided a number of apertures corresponding to the compartments in the container section, said apertures being formed in the recessed roof portion and the sides of the gable portions adjoining thereto, and being arranged so as to coincide with the respective compartments in the container section, when the cover section is closed thereon, and that the recessed roof portion has a downwardly projecting web which extends along the entire length of the roof portion and has a trough-shaped cross section and forms an open-end channel, and that the web and the projections are so formed and arranged in relation to each other that the web rests on the tops of the projections, when the cover section of the carton is closed on the container section.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 'PATENTED JURZS I975 M M-M ARTICLE-REVEALING CARTON FOR FRAGILE OBJECTS The invention relates to an article-revealing carton for fragile objects, particularly eggs, consisting of a container section with a cover section hinged thereto, said container section having a plurality of articlereceiving compartments arranged in at least two parallel rows and also upwardly extending projections located between said rows of compartments, and said cover section having at least two upwardly projecting gable portions extending parallel with the rows of compartments and a roof portion recessed between two neighboring gable portions and interconnecting the lowermost edges of the opposed sides of the neighboring gable portions, and moreover there is provided a number of apertures corresponding to the compartments in the container section, said apertures being formed in the recessed roof portion and the sides of the gable portions adjoining thereto and being arranged so as to coincide with the respective compartments in the container section, when the cover section is closed thereon.

When the carton is closed the gable portions will be located above the rows of compartments, and a predetermined portion of the object will be visible through the aperture, and said object portions can be held in position and bounded by the edges of the apertures, the carton having been so dimensioned that the tops of the gable portions in the closed carton are higher and the roof portion lower than the top portions of the objects contained in the carton, and that the gable portions are narrower than the said top portions.

The invention is characteristic in that the recessed roof portion has a downwardly projecting web which extends along the entire length of the roof portion and has a trough-shaped cross section and forms an openend channel, and that the web and the projections are so formed and arranged in relation to each other that the web rests on the tops of the projections when the cover sextion of the carton is closed on the container section.

This feature ensures that in the closed carton the cover section in the area of the roof portion which normally constitutes the central part of the cover section, is supported by the projections extending upwardly from the container section, whereby an undesirable deformation of the cover section is counteracted and a risk of damage to the objects by depression of the roof portion is eliminated. In this way a well-braced and resistant article-revealing carton is provided even though it may be made of a comparatively elastic and resilient material, such as fiber pulp moulded by suction onto a suction mould.

According to the invention the cross section of the web may expediently be trapezoidal, thus providing partly a conveniently large supporting surface with which the web can rest on the projections, and partly a shape of the web which is well adapted to the production process mentioned in the foregoing.

According to the invention the channel formed by the web can also be used for keeping cover section and container section together, when the carton is closed, by passing a ribbon through the channel and round the cover section and container section. For this purpose use can be made of a label which may also hear imprints, e.g., the date of packing or information about size or weight of the objects packed. The ribbon may also serve as a control means to show the buyer that the carton has not been opened.

In order to provide further protection of the carton and its contents against damage, the container portion of the carton may according to the invention be provided with end walls extending across the interval between the end compartments in the rows of compartments of the container section. In the event of lateral displacement such transverse end walls will prevent a carton piled on top of another closed carton from stepping down with a row of its compartment-forming portions on the webbed roof portion of the carton below.

As the projections protruding upwardly in the container section, which projections in the nature of things will be rather high, as well as the web formed as a channel on the roof portion of the cover section may cause problems for the denesting of a number of cartons which in unfolded condition, e.g., for purposes of transport, have been nested into each other, it is appropriate according to the invention to provide the container section or the cover section or both with members to facilitate the denesting. According to the invention such denesting members may suitably be provided on obliquely extending wall portions of the carton in the form of rib-shaped projections with L-shaped cross section, the upwardly protruding part of the L extending more steeply than the wall portions and preferably substantially vertically and forming at its free end edge a resting surface for the substantially horizontal bottom part of corresponding denesting projections on a carton blank introduced into the carton blank in question. By this means two carton blanks, one nested into the other, are held at a distance from one another corresponding to the height of the upwardly protruding part of the L. According to the invention the rib-shaped projections are suitably formed on end walls of the container section and/or cover section of the carton and extend transversely of the rows of compartments or the web of the cover section, by which means a wedging in the area of the projections of the container section and the web of the cover section is effectively prevented.

The invention will now be explained in more detail, reference being made to the drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an egg carton according to the invention in closed condition and as seen from one end of the carton,

FIG. 2 is a similar view of the same carton as seen from above, part of the carton cover having been removed,

FIG. 3 is a large-scale cross section on the line III-II! in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 shows schematically and on an increased scale a cross section through the end walls of two carton blanks nested into each other in unfolded condition, said walls being provided with denesting members.

The shown carton consists of a container section 1 and a cover section 2. The two sections are interconnected by means of a hinge 3. The carton is designed as a packing for eggs.

The container section has two parallel rows of eggreceiving compartments 4, each row in the shown embodiment numbering five compartments 4. Between the compartments arranged in rows beside each other there are provided upwardly extending projections in the form of hollow projections 5, defining the compartments and also serving as supports for the cover section 2 when same is closed on the container section 1.

The cover section 2 has two parallel, upwardly protruding gable portions 6 extending parallel with the rows of compartments and in the closed condition of the carton extending above the rows of compartments, vide FIG. 3. A recessed roof portion 7 is arranged between the gable portions and interconnects the lowermost edges of the opposed sides 6a of the gable portions. The roof portion 7 has a downwardly protruding web 8 extending along the entire length of the roof portion 7 and forming an open-end channel 9 which is open towards the upper side of the roof portion 7. The web 8 has trapezoidal cross section.

The numeral 10 indicates a number of articlerevealing apertures for the eggs. These apertures are formed partly in the sides 6a of the gable portions and partly in the roof portion 7. The number of apertures 10 corresponds to the number of compartments 4, and they are arranged so as to coincide with the compartments 4, when the carton is closed. Thus, in the present embodiment there are five apertures 10 in each gable portion 6.

Furthermore it will be seen, particularly from FIG. 3, that the carton is so dimensioned that in the closed carton the tops of the gable portions 6 will be higher and roof portion 7 lower than the top portions of the eggs packed in the carton, as indicated in dot-and-dash line, and also that the gable portions 6 are narrower than the said egg portions.

Consequently, a portion 11 of the eggs 12 in the closed carton will be visible in the apertures 10 and ca pable of projecting some distance through the apertures, even so far that they will get into contact with the edges of the apertures and thus be held in their positions. Furthermore, the web 8 and the projections 5 are so formed and arranged that the web 8 rests on the tops of the projections 5 so that the roof portion 7 is supported by the projections 5.

FIG. 1 in connection with FIG. 3 furthermore shows that the end wall 13 of the container section 1 extends across the interval between the compartments 4 located at the end of the rows of compartments of the container section.

Close to their free edges the obliquely extending and walls of the container section 1 and the cover section 2 are provided with denesting members in the form of rib-shaped denesting projections 14, protruding from the side walls and extending transversely of the rows of compartments and the web 8 of the cover section, re-

spectively. The projections 14 have L-shaped cross sections and consist of an upwardly protruding part 14a and a horizontal bottom part 14b. The upwardly protruding part 14a extends more steeply than the wall portions and preferably substantially vertically, cf. FIG. 4, and at its free end edge 14c it forms a resting surface for the substantially horizontal bottom part 14b of a corresponding denesting projection 14 on another carton blank introduced into the carton blank in question. FIG. 4 shows parts of such two carton blanks provided with denesting projections 14, after they have been nested into each other in unfolded condition, and it appears from the figure that by means of the denesting projections 14 the blanks are held at a distance from one another corresponding to the height of the upwardly protruding part of the L.

The channel 9 formed by the web 8 accommodates a transparent ribbon 15 which has been passed around the cover section 2 and the container section 1 after the carton has been closed and thus contributes to keeping the sections together. The ribbon may have imprints 16.

Furthermore, at one of its long sides the container section 1 is provided with a flap 17 which is hingedly connected with the section, said flap carrying locking projections 18 which in the closed carton protrude through corresponding locking apertures 19 in the corresponding side wall of the cover section 2, seeing that the flap 17 abuts against the inner side of said side wall.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim 1. Article-revealing carton for fragile objects, particularly eggs, consisting of a container section with a cover section hinged thereto, said container section having a plurality of article-receiving compartments arranged in at least two parallel rows and also upwardly extending projections located between said rows of compartments, and said cover section having at least two upwardly projecting gable portions extending parallel with the rows of compartments and a roof portion recessed between two neighboring gable portions and interconnecting the lowermost edges of the opposed sides of the neighboring gable portions, and moreover there is provided a number of apertures corresponding to the compartments in the container section, said apertures being formed in the recessed roof portion and the sides of the gable portions adjoining thereto, and being arranged so as to coincide with the respective compartments in the container section, when the cover section is closed thereon, characterized in that the recessed roof portion has a downwardly projecting web which extends along the entire length of the roof portion and has a trough-shaped cross section and forms an open-end channel, and that the web and the projections are so formed and arranged in relation to each other that the web rests on the tops of the projections, when the cover section of the carton is closed on the container section.

2. Article-revealing carton according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross section of the web is trapezoidal.

3. Article-revealing carton according to claim 1, characterized by a ribbon which has been passed through the channel formed by the web and around the cover section and the container section when the carton is closed.

4. Article-revealing carton according to claim 1, characterized in that the container section of the carton is arranged with end walls extending across the interval between the end compartments in the rows of compartments of the container section.

5. Carton for fragile articles, particularly eggs, comprising a container section and a cover section hinged thereto, said container section having a plurality of article-receiving compartments arranged in two parallel rows, upwardly extending projections located between said rows of compartments, said cover section having two upwardly projecting gable portions extending parallel with the rows of compartments and a roof portion recessed between the two gable portions and interconnecting the lowermost portions of the opposed sides of section and the projections of the container section being so formed and arranged in relation to each other that the web rests on the tops of the projections when the cover section of the carton is closed on the container section. 

1. Article-revealing carton for fragile objects, particularly eggs, consisting of a container section with a cover section hinged thereto, said container section having a plurality of article-receiving compartments arranged in at least two parallel rows and also upwardly extending projections located between said rows of compartments, and said cover section having at least two upwardly projecting gable portions extending parallel with the rows of compartments and a roof portion recessed between two neighboring gable portions and interconnecting the lowermost edges of the opposed sides of the neighboring gable portions, and moreover there is provided a number of apertures corresponding to the compartments in the container section, said apertures being formed in the recessed roof portion and the sides of the gable portions adjoining thereto, and being arranged so as to coincide with the respective compartments in the container section, when the cover section is closed thereon, characterized in that the recessed roof portion has a downwardly projecting web which extends along the entire length of the roof portion and has a trough-shaped cross section and forms an open-end channel, and that the web and the projections are so formed and arranged in relation to each other that the web rests on the tops of the projections, when the cover section of the carton is closed on the container section.
 2. Article-revealing carton according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross section of the web is trapezoidal.
 3. Article-revealing carton according to claim 1, characterized by a ribbon which has been passed through the channel formed by the web and around the cover section and the container section when the carton is closed.
 4. Article-revealing carton according to claim 1, characterized in that the container section of the carton is arranged with end walls extending across the interval between the end compartments in the rows of compartments of the container section.
 5. Carton for fragile articles, particularly eggs, comprising a container section and a cover section hinged thereto, said container section having a plurality of article-receiving compartments arranged in two parallel rows, upwardly extending projections located between said rows of compartments, said cover section having two upwardly projecting gable portions extending parallel with the rows of compartments and a roof portion recessed between the two gable portions and interconnecting the lowermost portions of the opposed sides of the two gable portions, wherein the recessed roof portion has a downwardly projecting web extending along the entire length of the roof portion and is trough-shaped in cross section thereby forming an open-ended channel for receiving a ribbon for securing the cover and container sections together, said web of the cover section and the projections of the container section being so formed and arranged in relation to each other that the web restS on the tops of the projections when the cover section of the carton is closed on the container section. 